Diabetes: New test will be a life-saver

A SIMPLE blood test could predict who is at risk of developing diabetes up to a decade before it strikes.

The blood test could help discover who is more likely to develop diabetes/posed by model []

The discovery could be a boost in the fight against
one of Britain’s most dangerous chronic diseases and help save
hundreds of thousands of lives.

Researchers
claim the test could give doctors a warning which would lead to
preventative treatment to stop lifestyle-related Type 2 diabetes
developing at all. The cheap blood test could be given as part of a
regular check-up at the GP’s within just a few years.

It is thought that about seven million Britons are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Currently, by the time it is diagnosed, it has already progressed, causing damage to blood vessels and eyes.

The
new study is the first to identify that people with above average
levels of the protein SFRP4 are five times more likely to develop the
disease, irrespective of risk factors like age and obesity.

This makes it a strong risk marker that is present several years before diagnosis

Anders Rosengren, leader of the Swedish study at the Lund Diabetes Centre

The
findings could lead to the creation of a drug to block the protein,
which could eventually wipe Type 2 diabetes out altogether.

The news comes as experts warn soaring diabetes rates could “bankrupt the NHS”.

Anders Rosengren, leader of the Swedish study at the Lund Diabetes Centre, said: “We can point to an increased risk of diabetes in a middle-aged individual of normal weight using a simple blood test up to 10 years before the disease develops. This could provide strong motivation for them to improve their lifestyle.”

Type 2 diabetes, which represents nine out of 10 cases of the disease, is traditionally linked to obesity, too much alcohol, a lack of exercise and general unhealthy living.

Other risk factors include being over 40, having a large waist, a family history of diabetes or coming from black, Asian or minority ethnic communities.

Diabetes UK warned that obesity is fuelling the crisis and is set to trigger a national health disaster with millions facing a lifetime of chronic illness.

It puts people at a dramatically increased risk of health problems which can lead to amputation, blindness, kidney failure, stroke and early death.

The number blighted by the condition is set to soar by 700,000 in just eight years, with at least 4.4 million sufferers by the end of the decade. But the tide can be turned if people adopt simple lifestyle changes to lose weight.

The Swedish study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, is the first time a link has been established between the disease and the protein SFRP4.

Researchers measured samples of insulin-producing beta cells from diabetics and non-diabetics every year over a period of three years.

Diabetics were seen to have significantly higher levels of SFRP4.

Thirty-seven per cent of those who had higher than average levels developed diabetes during the period of the study.

Among those with a lower than average level, only nine per cent went on to be a victim.

Mr Rosengren added: “This makes it a strong risk marker that is present several years before diagnosis. We have also identified the mechanism for how SFRP4 impairs the secretion of insulin.

“The marker therefore reflects not only an increased risk, but also an ongoing disease process.”

Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: “Over 60 genes have now been identified that affect the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The researchers behind this work have gone further than just identifying the gene – they have performed a number of experiments to try to understand the processes that are controlled by it.

“This is the kind of work that is needed to help us get a complete understanding of what causes Type 2 diabetes and, further down the line, to develop new treatments.”